Russian league VAR debut set for December

Video technology will make its debut in the Russian league in December at a match between Krasnodar and Akhmat Grozny, the latter club said on Wednesday.

The video assistant referee (VAR) system has already been trialled in other countries including Germany, France, Brazil and Italy and was used at last summer's Confederations Cup in Russia.

"The club and the Hawk-Eye Innovations company have signed a cooperation agreement," Krasnodar said in a statement on their official website.

"The system's debut is scheduled for December 3."

The Russian Premier League asked the country's football ruling body (RFU) earlier this month to support the idea of using VAR in Russian Premier League matches.

VAR is used to review goals, red cards, penalties and cases of mistaken identity and has also been tried out in Australia and the Netherlands.

The system is designed to help the referee on the pitch, and can stop the action to review controversial decisions.

World football governing body FIFA had vowed to bring in VAR at next year's World Cup in Russia but that option has been thrown into doubt following criticism of the system in both Italy and Germany.

Last week, a spokesman for the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body in charge of football's rules and regulations, told AFP that the trial period could be extended to after the World Cup, meaning it wouldn't be used at Russia 2018.